The Original Guardians Of The Galaxy Return

If I asked you to name a few characters from Guardians of the Galaxy, I'm willing to be most of you would say something to the effect of "that dude from Parks and Recreation and a talking raccoon." And you'd be right. Both of these characters are a part of Marvel's new vision for this team, which will leap from comic pages to the silver screen on August 1. For comic book readers in the '60s, '70s, and '90s, the identity of the Guardians of the Galaxy was much different.

The original comic book took place in the 31st century, and didn't follow the exploits of a raccoon or a tree. It told the stories of Major Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Martinex, Yondu, Starhawk, and a handful of other characters that eventually joined the team. These tales were filled with science-fiction wonder, yet also delivered fantastic fan service as they revealed what happened to the greatest Marvel Comics heroes of today. As you can see from the image above, Captain America's shield is alive and well in the 31st century.

In addition to Marvel's ongoing Guardians of the Galaxy comic, which is close in concept to the upcoming movie, the studio is introducing a second ongoing Guardians book that targets old-school fans like me. Starting in October, Guardians 3000 brings back the original team in a time-traveling story that unites the past, present, and future. In the first issue, the Guardians must travel to the past to track down a mysterious young girl named Geena Drake who holds the key to keeping the timeline intact. Former Guardians scribe Dan Abnett returns to pen this reunion story. The fantastic Gerardo Sandoval is handling the art.